Meta removes fraud app ads in India, after being asked twice
Meta removed dozens of advertisements for apps that presented themselves as pornography but actually functioned as banking malware, after the Indian government issued an advisory. Reuters then found at least 39 more of the ads still running and reported on Monday that Meta removed those as well after being asked about them. The sequence is […] This story continues at The Next Web
Reuters then found at least 39 more of the ads still running and reported on Monday that Meta removed those as well after being asked about them.
The apps themselves were capable of accessing information on users’ phones, capturing one-time passwords and banking PINs, and transferring money from accounts without the owner’s knowledge.
Pornography is also an effective lure for this type of malware for reasons that have little to do with the technology itself. Someone who installs an app they would rather keep private may be less likely to report it immediately, particularly if they are embarrassed about how they encountered it.
One-time passwords create another vulnerability because they are now part of the security process used by many banking services.
Malware that can read those codes directly from a device can undermine the second factor that is supposed to protect an account if a password has already been compromised.
India has good reason to be concerned about the issue. The country recorded close to $2.4 billion in losses from cyber fraud during 2025, while mobile banking has become the main way many people access financial services, particularly among newer account holders.
The regulatory response is now moving in a similar direction across several major markets, although governments are using different tools. India has relied on advisories and direct requests to the company, European authorities are pursuing fines, and US plaintiffs have been taking their claims to court.
Meta has been developing countermeasures at the same time, including new scam-detection systems across WhatsApp, Messenger and Facebook .
